Critical Warfare
Ah, there it is again. That lovely buzz coming from your friendly neighborhood medic after a hard bout of fightin’ ‘n’ healin’. It’s a wonderful sound, surreal and so positively . . . electrifying. Topped off and with a new sense of vitality, you charge around the corner face to face with a motley bunch of fools who dare to oppose your might. With a cry of “Give ‘em hell boys!” and a laugh that would make even the most battle hardened veteran cringe, your pal flips a switch and you let loose a barrage of crockets into the now terrified enemy. For a brief moment of utter chaos you are a god among men. Death is but a triviality in comparison to your might! Maggots gib left and right and you cackle with glee as the smoke clears. Your ten seconds of bliss is up and the rest of your team moves in to finish the work. A job well done and another victory under your belt.
A fairly rare occurrence perhaps but not for lack of effort I’m certain. Well, maybe it is, but that’s not exactly something I can address, now is it? And, unlike the more . . . vocal authors, I’m not much for ranting so I’ll provide a bit of informational reading.
The Basics
Everyone should be well aware of the numbers by now but humor me and let’s throw them out again. The Kritzkrieg has by comparison with the Medigun:
- A glorious 25% faster charge time and
- Ten seconds of invulnerability replaced with ten seconds of crits
- But does not do extra damage on engineer buildings
Not a bad deal if you ask me . . . depending on the situation that is. While even the least cautious and intelligent team mates will have no problem figuring that out, it takes a bit of know-how and planning to make it effective. Unfortunately for most players, Valve actually made this just what they intended the unlockables to be, an alternative. You cannot simply equip your shiny new (or perhaps more fittingly, dusty old) Krizkrieg and waltz out of spawn thinking yourself all the better for it. Oh no, it’s quite the cunning beast to tame.
Have a good long look at it.
The Kritzkrieg in all of its glory.
It’s quite beautiful isn’t it? However, its beauty belies its destructive power and subtly hints at its proper usage. Used properly it contains the destructive power of practically four demomen! Used improperly and it is a death sentence for you and your comrade. Take note of the sleek design (as compared to the normal one) and the beam itself. The beam is changed ever so slightly, with the the bold and highly noticeable crosses accompanied by smooth, piercing lines. Remind you of anyone? Why, our good friend the spy! And how does a spy play? By being slippery and elusive until the moment he strikes, by which point it is far too late for the enemy to react. This is the key to unleashing its power!
The Kritzkrieg is by far a more guerrilla style device than its clunkier and blunt cousin the Medigun. Give anyone a half chance at taking you down and you’re a goner. A sneaky kritzer is a successful kritzer! Remember that kiddos.
Sneaky medic is sneaky.
What I’ve stated may appear to contradict my opening bit but not really. The main thing to keep in mind is to keep it a surprise and hit ‘em when they least expect it. Did they expect to see a Kritzed soldier pop around the corner and gib them all? I’d say not and, thanks to its limited use in the pub scene, there are very few who will.
Versus the Sentry
Right there, that’s the problem people have with the Kritzkrieg. Kritzkriegs are terrible against sentries as opposed to a normal Uber which is a blunt and effective measure against them. Now it isn’t to say they can’t be used to get rid of one but it really narrows down your options. In theory, if a sentry is positioned as to let a soldier splash damage an engie then that’ll get rid of the engie and eventually the sentry that much quicker. However, that takes time and skill, both of which are in short supply in the average game.
“So it’s useless on offense then?” you ask. “Not really,” being the answer. Admittedly, the Kritzkrieg is a defensive guy’s dream, which is probably why I like it so much. Unless the enemy is incredibly persistent or has a particularly annoying confident engineer, you’ll never have to deal with a sentry on defense leaving you scads of time to mow down the advancing troops. Having one on offense may leave you with one less Uber but that doesn’t mean it isn’t tactically sound. If there are two medics on your team, one with a Medigun and one with a Kritzkrieg, it’s perfectly normal (and absolutely brutal) to Uber and Kritz the same guy. Or if you’re really on fire, one guy Ubered as a shield and another moving in behind as a sort of death raining sword guy. Yay combos!
Battle Basics
Unlike the normal Uber which charges slower and is mostly useful for sentries, the Kruber charges much faster and is far more expendable. Due to the fact that it will not save you from death, you must get into the mindset of hitting it early and often. This not only surprises your enemy, which is key, but will save your neck more often than not. Better them dead and you back to charging than you and your pal making a trip back to the spawn room. And heck, you may not even make it out of a fire fight when you do hit it early but the other team is sure to be hurting.
Breaking It Down
And now for the obligatory class by class breakdown of the most useful Kritz partners. I think most are sound advice but I know there will be someone to contradict me. That’s just how the internet works.
Scout: I’ve done this once or twice with amusing results. Usually you won’t have a scout within arms reach but if you do, have fun with these guys. No one expects a scout to barrel around a corner one-shotting everyone. Obviously a last ditch/change-up sort of thing but good for goofing off or just plain confusing the other team.
Soldier: Can you say CUUH-RIT? Crockets are feared on the field of combat and rightly so. Imagine eight or so coming your way right after one another. Exactly. The number varies due to the slow reload time so I’d recommend having someone else nearby to pass the Kruber off to after he expends his initial four shots. Useful in just about “…every situation involving a Soldier ever.” ~General Balls.
CUUH-RIT!
Pyro: A good a choice as any, their constant flame critting like crazy will probably make the best use of the 10 seconds of pure hell, assuming you can get close enough in the first place. Best used as an ambush, like a pyro should be doing anyway, to get in close and do some damage. Chances are you’ll both bite the dust but it sure does some damage.
Demoman, extra crispy.
Demoman: A bit of an odd one to Kritz but he works like a weird soldier anyway. Best used in choke points to spam a few crit ‘nades or to help with a sticky trap/spam. Trust me, people gripe enough about one. See what happens when your pal hands them eight.
Heavy Weapons Guy: This guy is just what the Kritzkrieg was made for. Why? His amazingly horrid damage falloff becomes nil when he crits, just like everyone else. This leads to everyone in the immediate area either dying or coming way too close to it for comfort. Unlike the other classes (except perhaps the soldier) where surprise is the key, his large health and huge rate of fire makes him a completely viable choice on the front lines as opposed to flanking around. On the flipside, a sneaky heavy coming in from the side Kritzed is sure to rain hell upon the unsuspecting enemy. It’s your call really.
Engineer: Basically a slow scout with things to defend. If you’re caught covering him on a metal run or near his sentry when a spy comes around, don’t hesitate to pop the Kruber. Most engies are a bit baffled at first but chances are you’ll both walk away if it’s just one or two enemies. Most likely due to the other guy laughing at you or something but you’re still alive, right?
Medic, Sniper and Spy: All viable options when sneaking around, caught off guard or just plain screwing around but they can’t really use it to its full potential. You never know when a few extra crits might just save both of you. Of special note is that the sniper rifle and knife will still not crit. The Blutsauger will but I’m not certain about the Axtinguisher. If anyone can verify that I’d like to know.
Conclusion Bit
Hopefully this leaves you a bit more informed on how and when to use the Kritzkrieg. Maybe no one will bother to read this wall of text but if I get even a few people to at least try it out, I’ll have done my job. And trust me, I could have gone on and on about battle strats and theory here, I like to ramble. In closing: Be sneaky. Be spontaneous. And for the love of God, don’t charge sentries. They will laugh at you. A lot.
French Toast on January 6th 2009 in how to, medic, tactics, team fortress 2, ubercharged
Stumble it!
Jesse responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 1:23 pm #
If only two people could synchronize…..
UNSTOPPABLE DEATH MACHINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Dr. Dave responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 1:34 pm #
I disagree on the sentry bit. An ubered soldier or demo can easily kill the engineer and anyone in the area then stomp the sentry. Unfortunately few people appreciate or know what to do when I kritzkrieg them
That being said kritzkrieg should more than often be used on a cp map or on a ctf map when playing defense. Try it to find who on the other team is a little whiner baby.
FlyingHat responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 2:54 pm #
The Kritz is amazing when I’m playing soldier, taking out entire sentry nests and their engies is a great experience.
Then you use the rest of the charge to take out everyone else around you…
Corodan responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 3:06 pm #
A KritzRevolver can do wonders, y’know.
Hell-met responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 3:23 pm #
KK Axtinguisher does absolutely nothing. The crit swing anim plays everytime but no extra damage or anything (thank goodness).
Chronomeister responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 4:28 pm #
I love to use the Kritz on defense. My personal preference for Kritz though goes demo before soldier cause demo has a total of 12 explosives before he needs to reload compared to the 4 of the soldier. What I find the hardest to get is someone decent to dish it off to on defense cause usually all I can find are engineers and other medics.
madlep responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 4:37 pm #
If a demo gets kritzed, and then lays down stickies as a deterrent – do the stickies remain as crit stickies on the ground even after the charge has worn off?
Gus Chiggins responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 4:52 pm #
@madlep
Yes. Also, if the demo is smart, instead of blowing them all at once, he can just shoot a 9th bomb to blow up the first crit sticky if the situation doesn’t need excessive firepower.
Tim S. responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 7:37 pm #
I’ve seen a spy that was constantly kritzkreiged wreak havoc on the enemy team with the revolver. It was surprisingly effective and a rather novel use for the spy. It was also effective in that it was very shocking, caught us completely off guard.
Zorgulon responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 8:04 pm #
Excellent post.
I switch between Medigun and Kritz, depending on the situation, but I have to say my default is now the Kritzkrieg. The faster charge time means your much more likely to get some action out of it in a messy combat situation, and it is of course much more fun.
I like to think of it as the connoisseur’s Übercharge- you don’t get the invulnerability, but can potentially do more damage if you use it well. Soldiers benefit far more from it than an invuln.
It’s a shame that most players don’t use it more often, but from what I see on the UC server these days, it’s taken off quite well.
Richard responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 8:14 pm #
The Krizkrig is amazing, I find it way more fun then playing with the normal uber. The only real problem with it is that the normal uber saves the medic almost 100% of the time and the Kruber gets you killed often, if it’s used badly or with a bad teamate…
General Goose responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 8:39 pm #
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Iap9Tmkkf_0
Saw this on YouTube.
I’m scared of that revolver now.
Notger responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 8:42 pm #
Seeing how easy it is to run away from an ubered soldier, I really fear the krubered ones.
And Krubers make for a faster and more decisive game. No more counter-charges, just raw killing.
General Goose responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 8:57 pm #
Sorry to post again so soon, but some more kritzkrieg ownage:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Iap9Tmkkf_0
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-LewHMNQfyw&feature=related
The last one has a good sequel as well.
Now, if you excuse me, I have to change my loadout.
xeno responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 10:00 pm #
I think that you underestimate the power of a krubered demo.
It is glory to behold.
xeno responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 10:01 pm #
I think that you underestimate the power of a krubered demo.
It is glory to behold.
(Yes madlep, yes they do. Though it’s a waste to set up traps when you can 1 shot EVERY SINGLE CLASS IN THE GAME WITH CRIT STICKIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE)
Toxoplasma responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 11:07 pm #
In the 60 second setups defense has, you can crit a demo ASAP and still charge back up to full or almost full critz again before the round starts, so you get 8 nice stickies laying on all the doors.
BlueMouse222 responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 11:10 pm #
One thing I’ve never been able to put together in actual play, but sounds great in theory:
THE DIAMOND
Ingredients
2 Medigun Medics
1 Kritzkrieg Medic
1 Willing Victim
Medigun & Kritz Uber Willing Victim, Medigun Ubers Kritzkrieg.
Pwnt.
cook responded on 06 Jan 2009 at 11:58 pm #
I anyone had noticed the [-Q-] server being gone for Tf2 and Source here is the reason.
http://tinyurl.com/9spjdz
Alex responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 12:15 am #
ever tried the ultimate uber? A kritzer with another medic’s standard charge on a heavy or soldier is an amazing combination.
The Black Watch responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 12:47 am #
I’ve actually managed to get both the regular uber and the kritz uber on myself at the same time as a heavy (in a pub no less). Ended up being the best round I’ve ever played, but then again maybe it’s not so surprising when all three of us had mics and had a secondary health/ammo dispenser as we were escorting on Badwater.
Zorgulon responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 1:41 am #
At 120 damage per shot, the kritzed Revolver is very effective, but there are two limiting factors- the accuracy of the Spy and his vulnerability. While very embarassing for the other time, and quite fun, it’s nothing a Soldier and Heavy couldn’t do better.
@xeno- remember the 353 damage of a crit sticky is only if you’re standing on top of it. That said, the splash is enough to gib anything less than a Soldier, and seriously harm a Soldier or Heavy
The ultimate uber, while almost unstoppable, generally requires more organisation than it’s worth, and it’s more effective to use the ubers on more than one target.
Madcap responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 2:07 am #
I once followed a scout and kritzed him just as an enemy soldier, pyro and heavy were coming in. We had a great time.
Had I been wielding the medigun at the time, I doubt I would’ve gotten that uber-a-scout achievement so easily.
Wyatt responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 2:33 am #
I don’t usually play the classes that get the ubers regularly so I’ve only gotten the Krit+Uber once but oh what a great time it was. Needless to say as a Heavy I wiped all the personnel and a few sentries. Brought a tear to my eye. Kritzkrieg is also great in arena as it almost always charges in time to be used. Now that more people are playing Spy a lot more notice is going to the revolver. It is impressively accurate even at long range. Now that I think about a Spy getting kritzed it would be like a rapid fire sniper rifle. Mmm, that sounds tasty.
BTW, I’d like to compliment this article. No whining, ranting or grandstanding. Just good and informative. Very nice.
FrohmanForPrez responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 8:49 am #
Nice article. I’ve only had a few positive experiences with the Kritzkrieg. I think it’s highly dependent on the map, objective, & players.
Case in point, I was defending the final point in Dustbowl, and decided to go Heavy to try to dispel Blu from stepping out into the final stretch. A Medic nearby caught on and equipped his Kritzkrieg, and for close to 10 glorious minutes he & I charged up a constant barrage of Kritzkrieg-induced-kills without a single death between us. His help motivated our team & we were able to keep Blu from getting any closer to the point.
Counterpoint, I was on Blu in Turbine as a Pyro (2nd favorite class next to Medic, going as a Heavy in the above game was highly unusual for me), and the infamous completely-useless Medic joined Blu and kept popping his Kritz at the completely wrong/useless/how-could-that-help-us-in-any-way time. He would then B&M that no one was defending him… yutz.
I still prefer the Medigun when touting around as the Medic, but occasionally I find the perfect niche to use the Kritzkrieg.
VAKinc responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 9:20 am #
Finally, Light.
You’ve pretty much explained why I love the Kritzkrieg so much. It’s sneaky, and as a sniper and spy connoisseur, I’m drawn to that aspect of it. Also, as you said, extremely useful on defense, which is when I typically play medic. Also, it just plain looks cool, which surprisingly enough, you also mentioned.
The Light responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 9:28 am #
@Hell-met: I thought that’s what it’d do but I wasn’t sure. Thanks a bunch!
@Chronomeister: That’s a good point though the hardest part is FINDING a competent demoman, especially on my team. The evil bastards tend to be against me all the time. While I don’t think you can get off all 12 in the ten seconds (slightly less than one shot per second rate of fire IIRC) it does get a lot more fire power out faster than a soldier. Assuming he can aim well. :B
@General Goose: Ah, I hadn’t thought about looking up frag videos of it in use. Good finds there.
@FrohmanForPrez: “I think it’s highly dependent on the map, objective, & players.” You hit the nail on the head there. I honestly only find myself Kritzing if I’ve got a friend on or at least someone intelligent enough to communicate with me.
Thanks to everyone who has said they like it or anyone who finds this marginally useful. I’ve written and re-written it so many times I just about had given up on it. @_@
Corodan responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 10:54 am #
People are stealing my credit of bringing up the KruberRevolver. D;
Wormatsu responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 11:20 am #
Actually I’m rather sure that a Kritz-Sniper Rifle does all criticals too. I was kritzed when caught off guard once and after taking the attacker out with the Crit-Kukri I aimed and shot an enemy pyro in his chest and got a critical.
SAC responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 11:43 am #
The revolver is an underestimated and underused tool. Decent amount of damage, great accuracy, and a spontaneous reload combined with a decent ammo pack size. I once got a lucky crit streak and took out a full health Heavy with the revolver head on, without a scratch.
As for Kritzes, it’s my default healing tool. It’s more my style; destroy, rather than protect. But hey, what do I know? At 20 hours, the Medic is my least played class.
Don’t even have the Ubersaw yet.
This is not my real name responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 12:00 pm #
Quite a nice article…to say the truth, l was a kritz-hater when the kritz first came out…why?
Because if two medics fave each other, the uber one is ALWAYS going to win.
I know, it’s stupid, but that’s what l thought.
Then, well, l broadened my mind and saw some advantages, but still..
I always used the medigun and gave the kritz no chance at all…now maybe l will give it a chance…the one thing l know for sure is that it’s more fun that the medigun…now if it gives you more points too, then, l’ll use it alright!
Himmelstoss responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 12:07 pm #
Nice post. I’ve never really gotten the hang of using the kruber (even on defense!); this post was pretty useful. And of course, I’m reading it from one of the best medics I’ve ever played with, I know I can trust it!
On a side note: NOOOOO! THE [-Q-] SERVERS WENT DOWN!!!! Man, those servers were so awesome, I’ll miss them.
Himmelstoss responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 12:48 pm #
Who exactly are you referring to by “more vocal author”?
I don’t know. Ranting just comes naturally to me, I guess.
Dingo! responded on 07 Jan 2009 at 1:23 pm #
@ Wormatsu: Alas, no, it doesn’t. Neither can you facestab with the spy’s knife.
Since I’m usually the only Medic on my team I prefer switch-hitting. I swap guns every death or two. Alot of times what this comes down to is a battle of wits with the enemy medics, and if you can keep them guessing for most of the round they’re going to have a hell of a time trying to counter.
Dark Master responded on 09 Jan 2009 at 2:39 am #
Dingo: Sounds more like you’re bringing an additional element of chaos to the battlefield. Sometimes, if you can’t match somebody’s level of skill or playing style and you have to “Surrender to chaos”.
That said, I’m always swapping the weapons depending on the situation.
General Goose responded on 09 Jan 2009 at 2:55 am #
Shame the [-Q-] servers went down. Apparently the person running them had to much to do in his personal life.
Eran responded on 09 Jan 2009 at 5:01 am #
@BlueMouse:
Did the Diamond on a 12-a-side duel_duel2 game (I’m not making this up) and started a forward movement which destroyed six sentries and the people defending then. We then started to spawncamp their team. Glorious.
Monchberter responded on 09 Jan 2009 at 7:32 am #
I love being a kritz medic, especially on a team that is struggling, joining and then surgically using the power to give the other cocky team a nasty surprise.
I;ve always found that my default kritz target is heavy (a GOOD heavy mind) on defense because you can run to their frontline and catch them off guard, this does not work so well on offense as the other team are usually more spread out and looking in your direction. If i’m playing offense, i normally use the medigun, unless we have another medic, although a good crit-demo or crit-solider does a huge amount of damage, but then again, it almost always is of more benefit on defense.
n00bie51 responded on 09 Jan 2009 at 8:25 am #
Kritzkrieg + Snipers = pr0?
APARTHEID responded on 10 Jan 2009 at 7:54 am #
As I’ve found, one’s playstyle changes as they choose the healing implement of choice. With the Medigun, one must be more cautious of battle and position themselves away from danger, looking only for lone stragglers to Ubersaw if the opportunity presents itself; with the Kritzkrieg, one can be more aggressive and actively take advantage of their increased crit-rate to outgun ( … or outsaw ) wounded opponents.
Kill for kill, a proper Kruber can net enough kills to put some punch behind the Syringe Gun and a better guarantee behind the Ubersaw. A Medic can use their crits to flank unaware enemies, but it isn’t something you want to do often.
( Mind you, there are many more Kritz-friendly options than there are Uber options, so they’re much easier to pull off as well! )
n00bie51 responded on 11 Jan 2009 at 12:24 pm #
I think the Kritzkrieg is more of a precision-based scalpel and that the Medigun’s ÜberCharge is more of a broad sword. Using a Kritzkrieg and succeeding seems to be trickier than standard invulnerability; I think it requires the same amount of coordination if not more to utilize effectively and competently.
SAC responded on 12 Jan 2009 at 10:42 am #
@Dingo!:
Actually, it’s entirely possible to consistently facestab, not looking at the problems that Valve has patched.
I won’t reveal it, of course. League of Spies honor code. =D
In addition, I would like to say that I take kritz over uber most of the time. With a competent shooter, you can easily decimate a collective group, whereas ubers are mainly better for destroying sentries, on pyros, and on heavies.
Anony1200 responded on 17 Jan 2009 at 8:41 am #
My biggest gripe about the Kritzi is the fact that it’d work way better in a TRPG.The biggest problem is not only are you completly vurnurable,it sort of gives you tunnel vision-after all,who uses the kritzi non-offensivly,anyway?
Another major gripe is VALVe stil has yet to implement crit detection on buildings(it’s obvious that this is on purpose,yet VALVe seems to be going as far as possible to make sure Engineers are useless as a defensive measure rather than a support measure so it may come on sentries some time).If there’s a level 3 sentry ahead,and you’re healing a Heavy who isn’t overhealed(like you tend not to be in a cruber),I hope the heavy packed a Shotty and not a Sanvich(Be your own medic in 1 easy unlockable!).
diddlysquat responded on 19 Feb 2009 at 2:39 pm #
The sniper now critz from a charge as of a recent patch. Why valve went out of their way? Dunno…
Quote from update news:
“Sniper rifle now supports Crit Boost state like all other weapons (i.e. Kritzkrieg makes all shots critical hits)”
Cupcake, Darn It! responded on 05 May 2009 at 3:48 pm #
Even through my lack of a mic and my incoherent typing to my team, we were able to coordinate an uber and a kritz at the same time. Oddly, enough, not amazingly devastating. I think the shiny uber kind of scared them off anyways, so there was no one to hit with the kritz. Beauty of the kritz is that it’s not as obvious, so enemies run into the stream of shiny bullets and spam
Nick responded on 10 Oct 2009 at 2:36 pm #
Try a kritzed sniper who uses his SMG. You can empty that 25 round magizine pretty damn fast, and at 24 damage a pop, most things can’t stand in its way for very long.